Pneumatic piano-player.



G. FREBORG. PNEUMATIC PIANO PLAYER. ArrLIoATIoN rxLnD SEPT. 21, 1909.

Patented Nov. ,19, 1912.

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C. PRBBORG.

PNEUMATIG PIANO PLAYER.

APPLIOATION rum) sfuma, 1909. 4

Patented Nov. 19, 1912.1.

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C. FRBBORG. PNBUMATIC MANO PLAYER. APPLIATION FILED SBI T21, 1909.

1 ,044,639', Patented Nov. 19, 1912.

l 5 SHEETS-SHEET 3. W 46 c. FRBBoRG. PNEUMATICI PIANO PLAYER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 21, 1909.

Patented Nov. 19, 1912.

C. FRBBORG.

PNBUMATIG HAN@ PLAYER.

APPLIOATIONIILED SEPT. 21, 1909.

Patented Nov.19,'1912.

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.A GHARLES FBEBORG, 0F KANKAKEE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGrNOIR. TO SCHAEFFER IPIANOMIEG.y

COMPANY. A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

PN EUMATIC PIAN O-PLAYER Specification of Letters-Patent.

Patented Nov. 1912.

Application led lSeptember' 21, 1909. Serial No. 518,731:

To allwhom 'it may concern:

. Be it known that I, CHARLES Fnnnone, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kankakee, in the county of Kankakee and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Piano-Players, of which the following kis a specification.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a new and improved piano player of the type operating `automatically by air pressure. y

Another object of my invention is to provide a pneumatic piano player with the lit` t-le bellows or pneumatics arranged in an advantageous manner.A y

A further object is to provide a pneumatic piano player that shall have the pneumatics arranged to coperate advantageously with the piano actions, and so that the parts can be readily assembled and shall bev conveniently accessible. y

Various other ,objects will be made apparentv in the following specification and claims, taken in connection with the accompalrying drawings.

y invention 1s as broad as the appended claims, but for the purpose of clearly' eX- plaining its nature, I have illustra-tedone specific embodiment in the accompanying drawings, and I now proceed to Vdescribe this particular form of my invention in this Specification.

Figure l is a vertical section showing vthe general arrangement of the parts of the device. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the pneumatics. Fig. 3 `is a top plan view of the banks .of pneumatics. Figs. 4 and are sections `across the banks of pneumatics taken' Fig. 6. Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the rear face of the board designated 29 in Fig. 10.

Theusual cheek blocks of the piano are representedby the reference numeral Vl5.

The key bars 16 are pivoallymounted'entheblock 17 and carry the usual keys 18 at a pair of blocks 4 rodl 23 has screw its top end 24 being .modified to receive a wrench, and its lower end carrying a block 25 with a felt pad 26. 65 These'blocks 25 are at three dilferent heights corresponding to the heights of. the penumatics. The intermediate blocks aredesignated as 25 and the lowermo'st onesby 25"'. Each block is engaged by a member 27, 27 70 or 271 on a respective pneumatic at the proper height.

The wooden beam `or board 29 extends across the width of the piano above the keyy bars 16, being supported at its ends by thev cheek blocks l5. Combined with this beam 29 to form a supporting frame for the pneumatics are the wooden bars 30, 3l and 32. Att-ached to the under faces of these respective bars or boards are the upper members y 33, 33 and 33 of the various banks of pneumatics. The under members of these pneu-- matic's are designated on the drawings respectively as 34, 34 and 34, and these u nder members carry thev projecting members 35 27 already referred to.

Above the bar 30 is an air chamber 35 in which t-he usual moderate degree of vacuum is maintained by the main exhausting bellows of the piano player, the conduitwhich leads to said bellows being indicated in Fig. by the reference numeral 36. iThe upper wall of the vacuum chamber 35 is the horizontal board 37. Conduits 38, 38 and 38 extend from the respective pneumatics up '9,5 through the front wall 29 to the valve chambers 58 in the board 37.

Each valve chamber 58 has an opening 39 above to the outer air and an opening 40 bcllow to the vacuum chamber` 35. On" the common steinv 4l are the respective valves 42 and 43 for the said openmgs. This valve lstem is guided above by the guide 44, and

below by the plate' The various conduits leading from the respective openings in the tracker board are indicated bv .the reference numeral 46.

vThese load through holes in the block 57 to connecting holes 4'? in the block 30. From each hole t7 there is a branch conffgiuit 48 ,to .11,0

the respective chamber 49 in the wooden bar 30. Each chamber 49 is closed above 'by a leather diaphragm 50 surmounted by a button 5l carried on the lower end of the valve stem 4l. Also connected to the respective holes 47, which torm continuations-of the conduits 4G, are the thimb'les 52 which lead to the supplemental vacuum chamber 53 in the board 5G. Each thimble 52 has a disk of celluloid or other suitable material across its end with tine pertorations therein, these pertorations being the so called bleed holes. Directly in front ot each bleed hole 54 is a stopper 55 of rubber or other suitable material that maybe removed when it is desired to gain access to the bleed holes.

In operation, the main bellows maintains a constant degree of moderate. vacuum in the chambers 35 and 58. This 'same vacuum is also communicated through the bleed holes 54 to the ducts 46-47 which lead to the' tracker board. Thus it willbe seen that the leather diaphragms 50 are subjected to an equal pressure above and below, and hence the valves 42 and 43 stay down by gravity in the position shown in the drawings, closing the openings 40 and connecting the conduits 38, 384 and 38 to the external air 'through the openings 39. But when a hole in the music roll coincides with a hole in the tracker' board, atmospheric air is admitted to the conduit 46-47 much Jfaster than it can exhaust into the vacuum chamber 53 through the bleed hole 54, and thus the under side of the leather diaphragm 50 is subjected to atmospheric pressure, which raises the button 51,v carrying the valves 42 and 43 up so as to close the conduit 38 (or 38 or 88) to atmospheric air at the opening 39- and to connect4 this same conduit through the-opening 40 vand the opening in the plate 45 around the valve stem 4l, to the vacuum chamber 35.

The vacuum being communicated to the conduit 38 which connects with the interior of the respective pneumatic, it follows that the atmospheric pressure on the exterior of the pneumatic collapses the same causing the lower member 34 (or 34 or 34",) to rise and by means of the engagement of the projection 27 with the abstract or sticker 20, the piano action is actuated.

The board 30 can be fully equipped with its valves and conduits spaced uniformly along its length so that there will be the required number of valves in the entire width y of the piano. It is not necessary that this spacing of the valves on the boards 30 and 37 should be such as to make them register accurately with the abstracts 20. Of course it is necessary that the pneumatics should register accurately 'fvith the abstracts 20, but this object can be attained by displacing the pncumatics laterally as much as may be necessary and making laterally extending channels in the inner face of the vertical board 29, so as to preserve the continuity ot the conduits 88,38 and 38". These otlsets in the conduits are indicated in Figs. 10 and 11 by the reference numerals .62, 62- and G2.

I desire to call particular attention to the compact arrangement ot the banks ot pneumatics, also to the arrangement of the same relatively to the casing ot the piano. The banks of pneumaticslie close above the rear ends of the piano keys in the vacantspace which is found there in the ordinary type ofl pianos. By my invention I have succeeded in utilizing this space to the highest advantage. It will be seen that the banks of pneumatics lie behind'the tall board of the piano and extend only substantially to the same height as the fall board.

One advantage of my device isthat all the valves for the pneumatics are on top, although the pneumatics themselves are ar- 'ranged in three tiers; this makes the valves easily accessible for inspection, repair or adjustments.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a series of pneumatics, a'series of respective valves therefor, a supporting board, conduits in the board from the valves to the respective pneumatics, said conduits having offset portions so as to permit the pneumatics to be displaced laterally in order to register with the piano abstracts to which they belong.

2. In a device of the character described, cheek blocks, a board extending in a vertical plane across said cheek blocks, rearwardly projecting boards attached thereto, pneumatics attached to a portion ot the number of said rearwardly projecting boards, a vacuum chamber formed between two of said rearwardly projecting boards, and a block attached to the rear edges ot the two of said rearwardly projecting boards to form the rear wall ot said chamber, conduits in said block leading to the respective openings in the tracker board and also leading through to the front of said first named board and terminating in bleed holesin said holes, and separate removable plugs inthe walls of said chamber for permitting access to said bleed holes.

3. In a device of the character described, cheek blocks, a board extending in a vertical plane across said cheek blocks, rearwardly projecting boards attached thereto, pneumatics attached to aportion of the number ot said rearwardly projecting boards, a vacuum chamber formed between two ot' attached to the rear edges ofthe two otsaid rearwardly projecting boards to term the rear wall of said chamber, and conduits in the said block communicating with the refront, a vacuum chamber open to said bleedy said rearwardly projecting boards, a blockchannels independently of the other channels.

4. In a device of the character described, l a'vacu'um chamber, a board formlng the un der Wall of said chamber,'separate chambers i in said board, diaphragms between said Vacuum chamber and said separate Chanibe'rs, ducts channeled in sald board, respectively connected to said separate chambers, and having forward extensions terminating 15 in bleed holes, a vacuum chamber open to seid bleed holes, and separate removable .plugs in the Wall of said Vacuum chamber 4opposite seidy bleed holes.

In testimony whereof, I have subscribed 20 my name.

CHARLESv FREBORG.

Y Witnesses y HENRY A. PARKS, CHARLES E. BURNAP.

Copies ot this patent may be obtained for vecents each, by addressing' the Commissioner o1 Patents, Washington, D. C. 

